# Pipe noob question: Best pipe under $100



## the_brain

*Brain:* OK, cigar guy here that was just bombed some pipe tobacco, we need some opinions on the best pipe under $100... We want to try this tobacco at it's best, so we assume a $5 cob pipe just won't do it...

*Pinky:* And as we are truly clueless, and have no accessories, any must haves?


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## Eastree

Must-have accessory for many is a pipe tool -- something generic like a pipe nail, or something a bit more complex like one with a tamper, simple reamer, and poker like a Chech pipe tool (I'll never look back from that purchase).

Best pipes under $100 are estate pipes. Really -- find a site (such as smokingpipes.com) which honestly evaluates their stock. They'll sometimes blatantly spot out excellent specimens among their stock. I've had pretty good luck with Stanwell. But then I stopped purchasing new pipes with two Stanwells and two no-name estate pipes. There are a lot of pipes which smoke very well for much less than $100 -- some even in the $35 range, if you read carefully.

You can -- and like should -- avoid pipe knockers. Swatting your hot pipe into something can easily damage the pipe, or even snap the stem.

Another accessory for outdoor smoking is a wind cap! This is a MUST if you plan to smoke outside, at least for some pipe smokers. 

If you hold your pipe in your teeth, and you really want to cut down on marks in the stem, another good purchase is pipe bits.

Otherwise, pipe cleaners! Both fluffy and coarse! Buy more than you think you'll need; you'll run our quickly!

If you get a church warden pipe later on, buy pipe cleaners for churchwarden pipes when you do! Otherwise you'll receive your new pipe and want to use it ... and have to decide whether to wait, or leave it dirty util the pipe cleaners arrive.

DO NOT neglect having a stand for all of your pipes! They don't necessarily need anything super special, but certainly some air circulation, and something better than knocking around inside a drawer.

And lastly, matches or a decent soft-flame lighter. It's fun to watch the flame being pulled into the bowl of tobacco, but bics can leave the flame too close to your thumbs, and you'll end up a little singed from a re-light.


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## GoJohnnyGo

Honestly, for just trying a few blends of tobacco picking up a couple of cobbies is a great idea. They don't require the break in time that all briar pipes need to smoke at full potential. I'd say get one or two cobs, a pipe tool and a big box of matches and have at it. If you like the pipe then start looking into $100.00 briars.


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## RupturedDuck

If you are ready to spend $100 on a pipe, I'd get a Erik Nording Signature Freehand. Great pipe for just under $80. Peterson has a lot of great pipes under $100 also. Mostly, pick out something that you like, and make sure that it doesn't require the use of a filter, or filter adapter.

Next, pipe cleaners are essential...especially with a new pipe. Buy a lot of them, they are cheap. These are to be used while smoking when you start getting a little gurgle in the bottom of your pipe. When you purchase your pipe, if you are buying it from a B&M, you may want to see if you can get a cleaner down the stem to the bowl without taking the pipe apart...this makes life a lot easier.

Czech pipe tool - $3.95. Genius.

Cardboard book matches are the best for pipe lighting imho. Bic lighters will tend to scorch the top of your bowl, which doesn't effect the smokability of the pipe that much, but is generally considered bad form by pipe smokers. Wooden matches burn to fast, especially trying to relight the last little bit of tobacco at the bottom of the bowl. Eventually, when you've decided that you think pipes are awesome and you find yourself smoking one most of the day, you may want to invest in a quality pipe lighter, like the Im Corona "Old Boy." It is a great lighter that will run you somewhere between $90 and $150 depending on how fancy you want yours. But don't think you are missing out on the pipe smoking experience if you don't have a pipe lighter. Cardboard matches work really well, and are cheap.

I think that is about it. Let us know if you have any other questions!

RD


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## szyzk

I agree with John, buy a few cobs. They smoke dry and cool, you don't have to worry too much about flavor contamination between different blends when smoking them, and they'll give you a good idea of whether or not you want to spend better money on a nice piece of briar.

Otherwise, pipe cleaners, matches and a tamper/czech tool are a must!


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## x6ftundx

this is easy... 

1. Mason Jars from Walmart.. each tobacco goes in each jar
2. Czech tool, get a couple you will loose them 
3. Pipe Cleaners (not from Walmart) but Walgreens and CVS have them in a pinch. Just order a bunch from a good online store like pipesandcigars.com
4. Pipe Bits... basically rubber thingys that you put on the end of the stem to keep teeth marks off of it
5. A pipe lighter, not a cigar lighter. This would have a soft flame instead of a torch. If you have a zippo they make an insert for it or just get one on ebay for $10 or so.

that's about it... as for pipes look around at the websites and see what types you like. $100 will go a long way. A lot of places you can get 2-3 pipes for that price. Stay away from churchwardens until you get regular pipes figured out only becuase you will need different pipe cleaners


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## Oldmso54

Ian,
Pipe tool = the czech (spoon, tamper, rod) is a must = I use mine every time I smoke my pipe.
Lighters = I use my zippo / matches were a PITA for me
Pipe rest = got a $2 folding one and a $12 horse head
Pipe rack = made my own - 2 pcs of wood, a bunch of holes and your good
Mason Jars = 2 dozen at least to start LOL

PIPES = I love my Bjarne Bent Dublin and my Bjarne Rhodesian Bulldog and the original pipe DanR sent me (not exactly sure what it is). Each Bjarne was like 60ish & 50ish from PipesandCigars

I have my eye on a Savinelli Trevi or Tevere, smooth or rusticated. They run from $56.50 to about $70 on Smoking Pipes.com

Alot of people talk about Petersons and they make good looking stuff for under or around $100. I hear youu cant go wrong with a peterson.

The Nording Freehands are gorgeous and they can easily be had for under $100

My last advice is to get familiar with bowl sizes. I really didnt know what I was buying on my first 2 pipes and I would recommend NOT getting a really large bowl size initially. Medium size bowls I think would be a more appropriate size for a first pipe.

Good luck - lets compare notes !!!!


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## TommyTree

Cobs are a much better pipe than people give them credit for. If your heart is set on briar, the best pipe you can get under $100 is a Danish-made Stanwell. Do not confuse this with "Danish Design" or Italian-made Stanwells. The Danish-made pipes are second to none under $100. But if you're going to set that a limit at that price point, I would suggest getting a custom pipe, as that's the entry point for a lot of emerging carvers. If you're interested in an artisan pipe, let me know, I try to find you a few names.


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## ChronoB

Peterson and Savinelli are some of the best options sub-$100. A quality estate pipe from a reputable dealer like pulversbriar.com or smokingpipes.com is also a very good option.


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## Desertlifter

Anyone heard good or otherwise about the Tsuge pipes offered at smokingpipes.com? Some of them look downright purty, but I've not found a lot of feedback about them.


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## NarJar

I would agree with those that already mentioned buying a Missouri Meerschaum corn cob. It may not seem cool, but it functions quite nicely. First and foremost, it doesn't really require any breaking in, so you can take off from the get go. In addition, they typically do not ghost, so you can try a wide array of different tobaccos in it. And one of the biggest reasons, you can buy one for under $10 and decide if the pipe is really for you without having a small investment into it. Just don't eat out 1 meal, and that pays for the cob!


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## MarkC

TommyTree said:


> Cobs are a much better pipe than people give them credit for. If your heart is set on briar, the best pipe you can get under $100 is a Danish-made Stanwell. Do not confuse this with "Danish Design" or Italian-made Stanwells. The Danish-made pipes are second to none under $100. But if you're going to set that a limit at that price point, I would suggest getting a custom pipe, as that's the entry point for a lot of emerging carvers. If you're interested in an artisan pipe, let me know, I try to find you a few names.


What have you heard about the Italian Stanwells? I'm a big fan of the Danish ones, but I figured I'd let others be the guinea pigs on the Italian factory and haven't heard anything yet.


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## x6ftundx

I would still wait a few days and look things over... your first pipe will be the one your remember forever! It's important to pickout just that right one... I still have mine and I smoke it everyonce in a while. it's very old and beat up but I will never let it go. It's kind of like the very first cigar you ever smoked... bet you don't forget that one!


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## Guest

Honestly Ian, start with a cob. They really do smoke very well, very dry, and cool. You can also buy some fixer-upper briar pipes from fleabay for $10 or less (I have bought several) and read up on how to restore estate pipes. I've cleaned up and refinished two pipes now, it's really rewarding


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## Blue Raccoon

get yourself a MM cob from Larry at Briar Works with a forever stem. 
pipe cleaners (fat ones for cobs)
czech tool
snack size zip-locks
standard size Bic lighters

you are good to go


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## TommyTree

x6ftundx said:


> I would still wait a few days and look things over... your first pipe will be the one your remember forever! It's important to pickout just that right one... I still have mine and I smoke it everyonce in a while. it's very old and beat up but I will never let it go. It's kind of like the very first cigar you ever smoked... bet you don't forget that one!


Your first pipe will be the one you smoke for a while and then move on from. Tastes change and evolve, and experience will lead you to that balance between form and function that most overlook early on. My first pipe was lost after I smoked it a dozen or fewer times in college. My "first" pipe that I bought at the beginning of this smoking journey is now in Canada as someone else's first pipe. In the end, it was a nice pipe, but I quickly realized that it wasn't my style and I moved on.


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## TommyTree

MarkC said:


> What have you heard about the Italian Stanwells? I'm a big fan of the Danish ones, but I figured I'd let others be the guinea pigs on the Italian factory and haven't heard anything yet.


I don't know about the Danish Designed ones yet. I've seen a few and they do look like the old ones, but I haven't heard how they smoke. The Italian originals, however, are things like decoupage. Seriously.

Stanwell Decoupage 2 - YouTube


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## craig_o

My first pipe and still my best:










Savinelli Trevi Rusticated (616 KS) (6mm) Pipes at Smoking Pipes .com

Well under $100.


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## TommyTree

The Trevi is a nice line. There are a lot of great Savinelli's, and I have a few, but I think the Danish Stanwells are a better buy for the money. Nothing personal.


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## MarkC

TommyTree said:


> I don't know about the Danish Designed ones yet. I've seen a few and they do look like the old ones, but I haven't heard how they smoke. The Italian originals, however, are things like decoupage. Seriously.
> 
> Stanwell Decoupage 2 - YouTube


Ummmm....okay. Think I'll pass on that one.


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## craig_o

TommyTree said:


> The Trevi is a nice line. There are a lot of great Savinelli's, and I have a few, but I think the Danish Stanwells are a better buy for the money. Nothing personal.


No offense taken at all. I'm eager to get my paws on a Stanwell...this one is on my short list:










Or something like it, anyway. I'm not familiar wtih the Denmark vs. Italy aspect, so that's a new factor to consider.


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## TommyTree

By the way, Craig, that pipe, I believe, is from their Featherweight line. It's a beautiful pipe and will smoke great, but it's smaller than you'll expect it to be. I would own one now except for that. By all means get it if you want. Just know that there's the possibility that you overestimated its size.


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